The Texas Rangers had the best four seasons in the history of their franchise from 2010-2013, getting to the postseason three of the four and appearing in the only two World Series in team history in 2010 and 2011. The franchise history dates back to 1961 when they were known as the second version of the Washington Senators. Ron Washington's three playoff appearances equaled that of Johnny Oates, who led the Rangers to three division titles in four seasons in the late 1990's. Under current manager Jeff Banister, Texas has won two consecutive division titles, getting to the postseason for the eighth time in franchise history in 2016. The Rangers of last season did a great job winning the American League West division with 95 wins but for the second consecutive season, they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series. Sadly, the lost power hitting Prince Fielder after doctors declared him unable to play. Center fielder Ian Desmond left to join the Colorado Rockies as a free agent as did first baseman Mitch Moreland, who now plays for the Boston Red Sox. 2016 trading deadline acquisition Carlos Beltran is gone as well, staying in division and in state by joining the rival Houston Astros. Returning to the club are free agent Carlos Gomez, who seemed to perform like the player of old after the Rangers signed him in August of last season, as well as Mike Napoli, who returns to the club for the third time after a 34 home run season for the American League Champion Cleveland Indians. Napoli has also now played in three World Series, the first of whom was with Texas in 2011, the middle made him a World Series Champion with the Red Sox in 2013. I thought the Rangers did a pretty good job addressing their starting rotation depth this off season. They signed Andrew Cashner to a one year contract and did the same with right hander Tyson Ross, who was unexpectedly non-tendered by the San Diego Padres. Having veteran Cole Hamels, with a 15-5 record last season, 200 plus innings pitched and 200 plus strikeouts and Yu Darvish (132 strikeouts in just over 100 IP) as your top two starting pitchers put them in a great position to grow by taking a chance on an inconsistent talent (Cashner) and a proven pitcher coming off a major injury (Ross). Unfortunately, losing Cashner to start the season while already knowing Ross will not be ready puts a dagger in the Rangers starting rotation depth. Left hander Martin Perez made 33 starts and pitched relatively well and will be joined by AJ Griffin and Dillon Gee at the back of the rotation. While Griffin and Gee are good candidates to enjoy bounce back 2017 seasons, it may be a good idea for the Rangers to bring in another proven starter. Free agent Colby Lewis has pitched his last six MLB seasons with the Rangers and nine of his 11 in Texas. Doug Fister is still out there as well as well as former Rangers left hander CJ Wilson and right hander Henderson Alvarez. The Rangers bullpen is led by Sam Dyson, who bursted out with 38 saves in 2016. Right handed hard throwers Matt Bush and Tony Barnette are joined by Jeremy Jeffress, who came over in last season's Brewers trade with Jonathan Lucroy. Losing left handed specialist Jake Diekman leaves them without a reliable LOOGY to start the season, although Alex Claudio did well last season in 24 games. The Rangers also have a lot of faith in Keone Kela and Tanner Scheppers, both of who under-performed last season. In spite of the couple of defections, the Rangers are equipped with an offensive team that should once again score a lot of runs. Veteran Catcher Lucroy (.292 batting average, 24 home runs, 81 runs batted in) and star third baseman Adrian Beltre (.300, 32, 104) lead the way with second baseman Rougned Odor (.271, 33, 88) and Nomar Mazara (.266, 20, 64) providing the youth in a balanced lineup. Prized top prospect Jurickson Profar is looking to do something he has not done since debuting as a 19 year-old in 2012... play a full season. Profar is also trying out a new position, left field. Shortstop Elvis Andrus hit .300 and OPSed .800, a great job considering he is coming off a couple down seasons. Veteran Shin Soo Choo still has four seasons left on his seven year contract and is looking to settle in as the team's designated hitter. The lineup I would start the season with is Gomez CF, Mazara RF, Beltre 3B, Lucroy C, Odor 2B, Napoli 1B, Choo DH, Andrus SS, Profar LF. Outfielder/ first baseman Ryan Rua, outfielder Delino DeShields and maybe infielder Joey Gallo join backup catcher Robinson Chirinos to form the Rangers bench this season.Gallo has fallen out of the Rangers top 30 prospects (he technically does not qualify as a rookie anymore), but hit 28 home runs last season, giving him 139 over the past four professional seasons. The Rangers top overall prospect is outfielder Leody Tavaras, who is at least another two or three seasons from being ready to play in the major leagues. Left handed pitcher Yohander Mendez could be ready this season to help out as a starting pitcher. Shortstop Anderson Tejeda is very intriguing as well, as he could become yet another solid middle infielder to come through the Rangers minor league system. Left hand pitcher Joe Palumbo could be throwing darts in the Texas bullpen this season, especially with the injury to Diekman. Similar to the Houston Astros, the Rangers will have to fight off the stiff competition within their own division. The Athletics are improved and I see the Angels finishing the season with a winning record. The Rangers and Astros will knock each other around this season and because of that, both will fall short of winning the AL West title and consequently, the 2017 postseason altogether. Las Vegas had the Rangers right on point with their over/ under number of 86.5. I have the Rangers finishing the season at 86-76, second place in the American League West division.

I always find it funny how media outlets and online baseball websites make it seem like they got it. In such a cavalier way, they state how all 30 MLB teams will perform before the season even starts. Some use a computer formula, others simply go by what happened last season while yet others wait until others have made their predictions just to copy them verbatim. There really is no set formula but to take an educated guess based off the information you have. There is no way you are going to predict the 1914 Boston Braves or the 1969 New York Mets at this point in the preseason. So because of that, we have until the beginning of April to use our own reasoning to come up with a plan of what may or may not work. Please comment below. The Texas Rangers seemed like they had run out of gas coming into the 2015 season. Starting in 2010, the Rangers had set a standard that they were going to be elite every season. The Rangers won their first American League Pennant in 2010, repeated themselves a year later before losing in the American League Wild Card game in 2012. The Rangers seemed poised for another postseason appearance in 2013, but a rough finish put them in a position where they had to play a play-in game to advance to the postseason. Unfortunately, they lost that game. And with that loss seemed to go the Rangers greatest run in the history of the franchise. Dim expectations embarked the team going into 2015. New manager Jeff Banister is well respected throughout the game, but it seemed like the veteran team was on its way down. The Rangers inexplicably lost 95 games in 2014, so it seemed like the air was out of the balloon. The 2015 Rangers in the preseason resembled the 2013 Philadelphia Phillies, a team that had its share of success only to watch father time catch up with him. The Rangers were a team on the decline and according to the "experts," there was no way they could improve off such a horrendous season. The Rangers of last season were kind of living up to the hype of the "experts" through the end of July. The Rangers had a 50-52 record, trailing the first place Houston Astros by several games. In a move that was completely baffling at the time, general manager Jon Daniels made a trade with the Phillies to obtain left handed ace Cole Hamels. With Cole under contract through the 2018 season, the move was thought to be about the future. Incumbent ace Yu Darvish was to miss the entire season due to Tommy John surgery so the thought of a Hamels/ Darvish one-two at the top of the team's rotation for 2016 looked encouraging. However, the deal united team and along with other moves such as acquiring Sam Dyson, Mike Napoli and even the presence of Josh Hamilton, the Rangers played to a remarkable clip to finish the season as American League West division champions. The Rangers finished the season 38-22 in regular season games in August through October and their 88-74 record was good enough to hold off the Astros and Los Angeles Angels. The Rangers seemed poised to move back into the American League Championship Series. They took the first two games against the Toronto Blue Jays only to drop the next three and the series. The off season for the Rangers has been relatively quiet. They did swing a deal with the Seattle Mariners to acquire right handed relief pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen (2-2, 3.19, 13 saves, 60 strikeouts, 62 innings pitched) in exchange for center fielder Leonys Martin (.219 batting average, 5 home runs, 25 runs batted in, .576 on base plus slugging). The Rangers signed free agent outfielder Justin Ruggiano (.248, 6, 15, .805). Ruggiano's high OPS had to do with the fact that 15 of his 31 base hits being for extra bases. The Rangers then converted former Washington Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond (.233, 19, 62, .674) into an outfielder with a contract offered at the beginning of spring training. The core of the Texas Rangers lineup will come from veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre (.287, 18, 83, .788) and designated hitter/ first baseman Prince Fielder (.305, 23, 98, .841). First baseman Mitch Moreland (.278, 23, 85, .812) had a break out season and should be trusted to be a middle of the order presence. Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo (.276, 22, 82, .838) had an unexpected great season, one that got very little attention. Players like Choo had the history to digress after that first terrible year- like Choo did in 2014- and Choo (at least for last season) defied the odds. Second baseman Rougned Odor (.261, 16, 61, .781) had a good season, one in which he won the second base job by default over the loss of former top overall prospect Jurickson Profar. The top of the Rangers lineup will feature 2015 Rule 5 Draft selection Delino DeShields Jr (.261, 2, 37, .718, 25 stolen bases, 10 triples) and shortstop Elvis Andrus (.285, 7, 62, .667, 25 stolen bases). DeShields' performance allowed for the trade of Martin and took some talent away from the division and state rival Astros. Catcher Robinson Chirinos (.232, 10, 34, .762) fills out the lineup with the expectations he will give a little more offensively in a full season of games. The Rangers lineup I would go with is Andrus SS, DeShields CF, Beltre 3B, Fielder 1B, Moreland 1B, Desmond LF, Choo RF, Odor 2B, Chirinos C. Hamilton (.253, 8, 25, .732) should have the ability to earn a regular role in the lineup even though he is unlikely to start the season on the 25 man roster. Once he is healthy, he can fill in for Choo and Desmond, perhaps allow for Choo to spell DeShields in center and perhaps Desmond to spell Andrus at shortstop and Odor at second base. Ruggiano, infielder Hanser Alberto, outfielder Ryan Rua and top prospect Joey Gallo should round out the bench with Chris Gimenez likely serving as the back up catcher. Also, look for Ike Davis, Drew Stubbs and outfielder James Jones (acquired in the Martin/ Wilhelmsen trade) to push for a spot somewhere. I know optimism sets in when dealing with a pitcher and presence on the Texas Rangers team as important as Yu Darvish. But, let us get something straight. Darvish had Tommy John surgery about a year ago and it is in his best interest to wait a full 15 months before returning to MLB action. That means the end of June, perhaps as late as the All Star break this year. The Rangers would be wise to wait it out before rushing him back. In the meantime, that will put a little added pressure on left hander Derek Holland (4-3, 4.91, 10 starts, just 15 starts since the beginning of 2014). Holland has been a stalwart on this staff before and the Rangers hope his health issues are behind him. With him and Hamels at the top, the rest of the rotation should fall into place. The ageless Colby Lewis (17-9, 4.66, 33 starts, just under 205 innings pitched) will be followed by left hander Martin Perez (3-6, 4.46, 13 starts) and right hander Chi Chi Gonzalez (4-6, 3.90, 10 starts). Veteran Jeremy Guthrie (8-8, 5.95, 24 starts) was terrible in Kansas City last season in what was the last year of his contract. If he has anything left, he may provide fifth starter quality. One of the more underrated late game relievers was the Rangers Shawn Tolleson (6-4, 2.99, 35 saves, 76 Ks, just over 72 IP). The former 30th round draft pick could have been had by anybody after the Dodgers placed him on waivers. Tolleson will be joined by Dyson (5-4, 2.63, 71 Ks, just over 75 IP), Wilhelmsen and left hander Jake Diekman (2-1, 4.01, 69 Ks, just over 58 IP). Two time Tommy John champ AJ Griffin comes over after he was let go by the Oakland Athletics. If he has anything left, there is a place for him in the bullpen. Right hander Keone Kela (7-5, 2.39, 68 Ks, just over 60 IP) and lefty Sam Freeman (0-0, 3.05, 40 Ks, just over 38 IP) have a good chance to return to the major part of the mix. A dark horse candidate is right hander Nick Martinez, a starter over the past couple seasons who may be able to excel in a short relief role. Gallo got a lot of play last off season. His less than stellar MLB debut last season (.204, 6, 14, 57 Ks, 108 at bats) did little to tame the expectations. The question is just going to be over what position is he best suited for. He probably is not a third baseman and would not play there anyway as long as Beltre is around. Can he be a corner outfielder or a first baseman? Maybe, but that would require some rearranging of the Rangers starting position players. Gallo is best suited to start the season in AAA, just like he did last season. If he tears up the Pacific Coast League, like he is expected to, the Rangers could explore a trade of Moreland, Desmond or even Beltre, Fielder or Choo. Perhaps the Rangers can add some much needed pitching, especially if Darvish takes a little more time to get re- acclimated. Right hander Dillon Tate has an opportunity to debut this season even though he was taken second overall in the 2015 draft. The Rangers will manage him based off their needs and ideally would like to leave him in the minors all season. An interesting player to look at is outfielder Nomar Mazara, a 20 year old who raked in AAA last season. I think the Rangers 2014 season was an oversight. It seems like there is enough talent on this team to overcome such a rough season. 2015 showed that. The Rangers will go as far as their pitching takes them. Does Lewis have another full season left in him? When does Darvish come back? What about Desmond in left field? I like this team, but not enough to predict a division championship like last season. Las Vegas has them at 86 for their over/ under. I think it is close enough as I have the Rangers finishing at 84-78, second place in the American League West division.

At this time last season, talk was of the surprising MLB debut of LHP Brandon Finnegan, who was just selected a couple months earlier in the 2014 MLB draft. Brandon was the 17th overall pick and got into 7 games for KC and was kept on the postseason roster, getting into another 7 games. In fact, Finnegan pitched in the ALWC, ALDS, ALCS and WS. Some may consider Brandon Finnegan's story not much of a feat, as players such as Bob Horner, Dave Winfield and John Olerud head the list of players who went right from the draft to the big leagues. Those who witnessed anyone who has gone straight to the big leagues would certainly not think players up in the big leagues within their first year is a big story. Pro Football and Basketball take pride in the fact that their newly drafted players impact their parent clubs immediately. In fact, teams very much count on the players they draft to provide an impact right away. Baseball is different with the several different levels of minor leagues as well as the fact that they employ way more players in their organizations that any in the other major sports. Baseball draft picks are competing against many players that are coming from overseas as well as many Latin American players that are not subject to the draft. Barring a major injury, a NFL or NBA first round draft pick will at the very least, get into a NFL or NBA game before they are cast away to the curb to start their secondary lifetime career. The percentages of MLB first round draft picks playing even a game in the big leagues are nowhere near the percentages that exist in the NFL and NBA. No player from the most recent draft class of 2015 has made it to the big show. It will likely change next season, with RHP Carson Fulmer of the White Sox and SS Dansby Swanson of the Diamondbacks the favorites to make the jump. The 2014 draft has made an immediate impact with Cubs OF/ C Kyle Schwarber (4th overall pick), White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon (3rd overall), Mets OF Michael Conforto (10th overall) and Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (7th overall) all not only making it to the big leagues, but making a big difference on the teams they play for. Schwarber and Conforto will also likely make their postseason debuts this season as well. As for Finnegan, he joins a small group of the 2014 1st round draft class to be traded this season- when he was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds as part of the Johnny Cueto trade. SS Trea Turner (taken 13th overall by the San Diego Padres) was traded this offseason as part of a complicated deal involving Will Myers. After finally being named as the PTBNL in June of 2015, Turner has made his MLB debut for the Nationals, appearing in a handful of games. RHP Jeff Hoffman (9th overall) was taken by Toronto last season and traded to the Rockies as part of the Troy Tulowitzki deal. How does the impact of players like Schwarber, Conforto, Rodon and Nola change the perception of the previous couple year drafts, if at all? It seems as if the 2014 draft, to this point, has produced more MLB players than the 2013 draft with only Cubs 3B Kris Bryant (2nd overall), Rockies RHP Jonathan Gray (3rd overall), Cardinals LHP Marco Gonzalez (19th) and Rangers RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez (23rd) representing the first 37 players drafted by getting up to the major leagues. While the talent of those who have made it up to the big leagues is something worth talking about, so is the ceiling of the class of 2013. Young prospects such as Astros 3B Colin Moran (traded from the Marlins), White Sox SS Tim Anderson and Mariners 3B DJ Peterson had solid seasons in the minor leagues in 2015 and could debut in 2016. Others such as Mets 1B Dominic Smith, Phillies SS JP Crawford and Cubs OF Billy McKinney (acquired from Athletics) look as if they may not be too far behind. 38th overall pick Michael Lorenzen is pitching for the Reds, as is 39th overall pick Corey Knebel with the Tigers. The 2013 postseason will partially be remembered for the impact of Cardinals RHP Michael Wacha, who pitched in big games during the team's NL Pennant and World Series appearance. Unlike Finnegan, Wacha pitched nearly a full season in the minors before making his big league debut with St Louis.However, he was not the first player from the draft class of 2013 to debut in the major leagues. Orioles RHP Kevin Gausman (4th overall pick) made his first appearance on June 23, 2013- exactly one week before Wacha (19th overall pick) pitched for the Cardinals for the first time. Slightly less than two weeks later, Mariners C Mike Zunino (3rd overall pick) played in his first game for Seattle. Astros SS Carlos Correa, the first player selected in the draft, has made a huge impact for Houston in 2015. Twins CF Byron Buxton (2nd), Angels LHP Andrew Heaney (traded from Marlins- 9th selection), Cubs SS Addison Russell (traded from Athletics- 11th selection), Dodgers SS Corey Seager (18th selection), Blue Jays RHP Marcos Stroman (22nd overall), Red Sox SS Deven Marrero (24th overall), Rays 3B Richie Shaffer (25th selection), Red Sox LHP Brian Johnson (31st selection), Mets C Kevin Plawecki (35th), Cardinals OF Stephen Piscotty (36th), Rangers 3B Joey Gallo (39th), Astros RHP Lance McCullers (41st), Padres OF Travis Jankowski (44th) and Rockies RHP Eddie Butler (46th) have all made it to the major leagues. As of right now, the 2012 first round, which consisted of 60 picks, has placed 18 players (30%) in the big leagues. The 2013 first round, which consisted of 39 players- much less than 2012, has placed 6 players (15% in the majors. As for 2014, which saw 41 players taken in the first round, we have now seen 6 players (14%) go to the major leagues. How many will we see at this time next year? The 2012 draft has produced a very solid group of MLB players headed by Correa, Gausman, Russell, Wacha and Stroman and will likely see more out of Buxton, Seager, Gallo and others in the near future. The fact that 60 players were taken in the first round in the 2012 draft makes it even more impressive that 30% of the players are in the big leagues, a number that is expected to rise. The 2013 draft is the one I spent the most time covering as it was going on. Mark Appel went number one overall to the Astros and he will likely debut in the big leagues next season for Houston. Kris Bryant will likely by the NL Rookie of the Year with the Cubs and Gray, Gonzales and Gonzalez are expected to be part of Colorado's, St Louis' and Texas' starting rotations in 2016. 8 of the first 16 picks of that draft were high school players. Similarly, 10 of the first 16 players taken in the 2012 draft were also from high school with a handful of them debuting in 2015. I would expect to see the same trend with the 2013 class in 2016, led by Moran, Peterson and Crawford as well as OF Austin Meadows (Pirates-9th) and Indians 3B Clint Frazier (5th overall). The 2014 draft saw just 6 high school players taken among its top 17 picks, though Brady Aiken (Astros- DNS) and Tyler Kolek (Marlins) were taken 1 and 2 in the draft out of high school. Out of the 11 college players taken in the first 17 picks, 6 of them have played in the major leagues already. In case you were wondering, 8 of the first 16 picks in the 2015 draft were out of high school, with the other 8 players coming out of a 4 year college. Looking forward to what makes out of the 2015 class, something we will not know until the distant future.

When you describe the 2014 Texas Rangers, one of my favorite expressions comes to mind: the perfect storm. That best describes the Rangers of last season, a season that had some high expectations after some bold moves made in the prior off season. I admit, I had the Rangers winning the AL West last season. I loved the trade for Prince Fielder and thought the signing of Shin Soo Choo would have worked out better last season than it did. The trade of 2B Ian Kinsler to Detroit opened up 2B for top prospect Jurickson Profar. Of course, the injury bug hit the Rangers harder than any team in baseball last season, starting with Profar. Injuries are part of the game and have to be expected to happen. Teams that get through injuries and are still able to rise through it are given extra credit for what they have done. However, there are some seasons that it is understood that a team cannot stay competitive without any of their top players. It plagued the 2009 New York Mets and it really was amazing that the 2013 Yankees won 85 games with the injuries that they sustained. The Rangers had the same problem, with Fielder playing just 41 games and Mitch Moreland just 52 games. Choo's season was shortened as well. The biggest hit was taken with the team's pitching staff. If you were told the Texas Rangers would have used 40 pitchers last season, any expectations of even a .500 season would have to have been put to rest. Derek Holland returned to the rotation in September and pitched well, 2-0, 1.46, 6 games , 5 starts. Matt Harrison had his season and maybe career end after just 4 starts and Martin Perez was held to 8 starts due to Tommy John surgery with Tanner Scheppers season ending after 8 games, 4 starts. The biggest blow to the pitching staff was the loss of Yu Darvish (10-7, 3.08, 22 starts). Not having Darvish set the pitching staff back and was the major reason the team used 15 different starting pitchers, 9 of whom made 8 or more starts. The Rangers acquired RHP Yovani Gallardo (8-11, 3.51, 32 starts) from the Brewers which would have given the Rangers a solid 1-3 of Darvish, Holland and Gallardo. Unfortunately, Darvish having Tommy John surgery put a damper on that thought. Colby Lewis (10-14, 5.18, 29 starts) continues his on again- off again- big league career. He missed the 2013 season and returned to lead the AL in losses in 2014. He is likely to be the team's 3rd starter. However, with the quality of arms battling for the 4th and 5th starter spots, Lewis' spot may not be such a guarantee. LHP Anthony Ranuado (4-3, 4.81, 8 starts) comes over in a deal from Boston and LHP Ross Detwiler (2-3, 4.00, 47 games, 0 starts) comes over in a deal from Washington. The two of them will compete with right handers Nick Martinez (5-12, 4.55, 24 starts) and Nick Tepesch (5-11, 4.36, 22 starts). I can see either Martinez or Tepesch improving a little bit from next year and can see Detwiler emerging as a solid starting pitcher. The Rangers bullpen will be led by closer Neftali Feliz (2-1, 1.99, 13 saves, 30 games), who returns for his full season since 2011. RHP Shawn Tolleson (3-1, 2.76, 64 games) and LHP Alex Claudio (2.92 ERA, 15 games) lead the contingent to get to Felix, with Scheppers getting a good look to be the 8th inning pitcher. Among the other options, I like veteran Michael Kirkman (0-1, 1.59, 12 games) to emerge as a solid LHP option. RHP Kyuji Fujikawa (4.85 ERA, 15 games) comes over from the Cubs and if he is healthy, he could become a reliable option as well. Having Fielder (.247, 3, 16), Moreland (.246, 2, 23) and Choo (.242, 13, 40) all healthy this season will mean a lot to the Rangers offense. I have the most concern with Choo, who seemed to not be the same player he was in 2013 when he was healthy. 3B Adrian Beltre (.324, 19, 77) is the team's best all around player and in spite of a little bit of a decline, SS Elvis Andrus (.263, 2, 41) is still an above average offensive and defensive player. 21 year old Rougned Odor (.259, 9, 48) has a huge opportunity to become the team's second baseman of the future. Profar may have Wally Pipped his shot away, though even if he did, there is another MLB team that will give him a shot- especially at his age. The Rangers OF will contain Choo, last year's starting CF Leonys Martin (.274, 7, 40, 31) and LF Ryan Rua (.295, 2, 14 in 28 games). Rua has shown some power in the minors including hitting over 30 in 2013. Robinson Chirinos (.239, 13, 40) will be the starting C with Carlos Corporan (.235, 6, 19) coming over from Houston to be the backup. The Rangers best lineup looks like this: Andrus SS, Odor 2B, Fielder 1B, Beltre 3B, Moreland DH, Rua LF, Choo RF, Chirinos C, Martin CF. I can see Rua hitting for some power which makes this a fairly decent offense. Adam Rosales, Michael Choice and Ryan Ludwick should give this team some depth in case of an injury. Choice or Ludwick can take over for Martin and Rua if they are ineffective. Maybe at some point this season, the Rangers can make room for top offensive prospect Joey Gallo. He only hit 42 HR last season. The only problem is he may not have a position. Beltre is at 3B, which is Gallo's natural position and Fielder is at 1B. Moreland may be able to move to a corner OF position but I can't imagine Gallo becoming a DH at age 22. I guess if he hits, they will find a place in the lineup for him. Delino DeShields was a Rule 5 draft pick from the Houston Astros and perhaps he makes the team opening day. If he does, it will simply be because the Rangers want to keep him not because they intend for him to play everyday. The Rangers went 67-95 last year, a product of the injuries the team suffered through. New manager Jeff Banister is a very good baseball mind and will be a good manager. He will get the most out of these players. However, I do not want to get to crazy with my predictions of this team. A lot still has to go right for this team to compete for a playoff spot. I think the lineup has some depth and their starting pitching is projected to be better than last year. I don't think an 16 game improvement from last year is too much to ask for. I just don't see them making it to the playoffs. I think the Rangers will go 83-79, finishing in 3rd place in the AL West division. Vegas had them at 77 1/2 for the O/U, which is 10 1/2 games over where they finished in 2014.